Effective Instruction for ELLs

ED.810.629Supporting English Language Learners in

Literacy and Content Knowledge Development (SELL)

November 6, 2010

Outcomes:By the end of tonight’s class, students will

have:Debriefed the experience of creating the mid-

term PowerpointReviewed the research base behind the three

principles of effective ELL instruction in the mainstream

Discussed and seen examples of the three principles of effective ELL instruction in action

Applied what we have learned to a 2nd grade social studies lesson.

Your mid-term exams!Share your PPT with a partnerDiscuss the following:Why did you choose the content

you chose?How is this presentation

engaging and interaction?What is the element that

indicates whether or not the participants “got it?”

Three Principles of Effective ELL InstructionLanguage acquisition theories

have highlighted three key principles that mainstream teachers can use to support English Language Learners in their classroom:

increase comprehensibility,increase interaction, and Increase thinking / study skills

Research shows….What is the research behind each

of the three principles?1. increase comprehensibility:

2. increase interaction:

3. Increase thinking / study skills:

Increase ComprehensibilityThis principle involves the ways in which teachers can

make content more understandable to their students. With early to intermediate language learners, these include:

Constructing background knowledge Providing many nonverbal clues such as Pictures, & objects Demonstrations, Gestures and intonation cues Building from language that is already understood, Using graphic organizers, Hands-on learning opportunities Cooperative learning Peer tutoring techniques

Increase InteractionWhen students talk to each other about class

work, ELLs learn important language and content in conversations that are less complex and difficult to understand than teacher lectures.

A number of strategies have been developed that increase students’ opportunities to use both their language skills and new content material in direct communication. These include:

cooperative learning (Jigsaws, carousels, etc.) study buddies,project-based learningone-to-one teacher/student interactionsknee-to-knee/think-pair-share

Increase Thinking/Study SkillsAccommodations for ELLs have traditionally focused on

concrete, hands-on activities and reteaching, limiting these students’ access to the abstract concepts and processes that stimulate higher-order thinking.

Strategies that develop more advanced, higher-order thinking skills as a student’s competency increases include:

asking students higher order thinkingquestions, “think-alouds” Explicitly teaching and reinforcing study skills andtest-taking skills, holding high expectations for all students.

Let’s try!Review this lesson from the second

grade, 1st quarter social studies curriculum. Considering the three principles of effective ELL instruction, how will you adapt it and what activities will you add to make it more accessible for ELLs?